1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic label applying machine and method. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a label applying machine and method which rotates the labels before their application to the article in order to achieve a preferred orientation. The automatic label applying machine may operate in association with an automatic article weighing apparatus and a label printing mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In label applying devices heretofore proposed such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,329,550; 3,232,815; 3,616,016; 3,682,743 and 3,729,362 and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 595,741 filed July 14, 1975 by Victor Del Rosso entitled Label Applicator now U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,382 filed May 24, 1977, label applying mechanisms have been described which receive a label of a given orientation from a label dispensing device and apply the label to an article in that given orientation. This practice involves the disadvantage that the label is always placed on articles in the same orientation regardless of the orientation of the articles passing through the labeling station. Consequently, if for some production related reason the articles passing through the labeling station are oriented differently from the orientation of the label placed thereon or if during production run the article orientation is changed, all or some of the labels would be applied to the article in an orientation other than that which was preferred. In many cases this is an undesirable or unacceptable result: the correction of which required an article reorientation station upstream of the labeling station.
Thus is posed the problem of finding a method and apparatus which would increase the flexibility of the article labeling station itself and which would eliminate the need for an upstream article reorientation station, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of the production line. Such a method and apparatus should be capable of providing label rotation through one of a number of preselected angles prior to application to the article so as to accomodate operation of the weighing and labeling station with any one of a number of article orientations.